Stealing Hearts
by Mister Inconsistent
Summary: Dawn is a thief and a bandit, masterfully skilled in the art of plundering. But, after an unsuccessful attempt at robbing Viridian City, she meets Ash, the famous hero and now captain of the guards, who manages to change her life forever. But how? Pearlshipping!


**Hey guys!**

**I know, I shouldn't be starting so many stories if I can't finish any in the first place, but I wrote this as a draft a few days back and decided to publish it to see what you guys thought of it.  
Again, this story is pretty different from the actual anime, but I hope you can enjoy this one too!**

**Sorry for not updating recently, I've been caught up in a bunch of school work and stuff, but expect a new chapter from me tomorrow on one of my stories.**

I jerked up my black leather boots and hastily strapped them tightly around my calves. Grabbing a black scarf from where it was hanging limply over a chair, I tied it over my mouth and nose, as a makeshift mask. Shrugging on my dark coat and throwing the hood over my midnight blue hair, then pulling on black gloves over my pale hands and I was done.

I flickered my eyes over to my friend and accomplice, Rose, and she grinned at me; she was already long dressed, and was thankful that I finally was too.

Unlike me, Rose actually enjoyed our job. To me, it was just that – a job, and to be honest I'd rather do other things. Stealing from helpless merchants, taking all they had worked for, even killing if necessary – it wasn't my cup to tea. I'd much rather be riding my horse, over the hills and valleys of Twinleaf, our home, than skulking in the back alleys of Viridian City, or practising my shooting with the men of the village But it was a job, and a job is a job – if you see what I mean.

"You ready, Dawn?" she asked me, her catty green eyes glinting in their usual devious manner. I gulped and nodded, my heart pounding against my chest. I had never before felt so unsure about a robbery before, but Rose felt confident about it, so therefore I was obliged to have confidence in it too. Rose had been my best friend since we were both born – a week apart on the winter solstice sixteen years ago.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, shoving all feelings of dread right to the back of my mind – Rose always knew what she was doing, and I should really trust her more.

She flicked her auburn hair over her shoulder and smiled at me, but it wasn't assuring. Snorting laughter in a rather unladylike fashion, she strutted past me, her porcelain hands placed firmly against her hips.

"You're lying," she commented with a quick flicker of her eyes at me.

I pulled a face and ran after her, feeling the rush of wind grab at the back of my legs as the door slammed behind me.

We were staying in an inn in – you guessed it – the back alleys of Viridian City. My favourite place to be. We had arrived a day early from Twinleaf – the busiest market day was a Saturday, so we made it our business to be about on those days.

Rose grabbed my hand and pulled me down the narrow street we were standing in. We could just about see the square area from the corner we had shrunk into. It was already teeming with people, even though it was early morning. We Sinnoh people got up much earlier than these lazy folk, but there was nothing we could do about that.

I glanced up at Rose, who nodded at me. The one good thing about thievery was that it was usually over and done with quickly. Rose strolled out into the square casually, acting completely natural. She didn't look too out of place – the residents of Viridian City were used to seeing foreigners in their village.

Meanwhile, I was creating our distraction.

The smoke bomb was easy enough to create, and incredibly distracting. There would be a great kerfuffle, as my grandfather would say, and by that time we would be on our way back to the valley.

A struck my lint together and watched with glee as the sparks flew. I retreated back and watched the magic work.

"Hey, look!"

"Fire! FIRE!"

Almost immediately, everyone was screaming and running around like headless cuckoos. Through the clouds of billowing smoke, not much could be seen. Which made the perfect cover for thievery. I could faintly see Rose running over to a jewellery stand – typical Rose – and I made my way over to the closest stall. I was just rummaging through the sacks at the back of the shop when I felt a rough hand on my arm. I opened my mouth to scream, but a gloved hand was forced over it.

Dammit.

We had been caught.

I struggled desperately with my captor, but to no avail. At least three of them were holding me down now.

I searched the crowd, and made out Rose retreating down the back alley. Leaving me.

I saw her mouth sorry… and she was gone.

I ducked out of the strong arms of the guards who had caught me, and swung my foot round at them, catching one in the mouth. I registered him groaning in pain and pulling away, before I turned to the others.

I grabbed the smaller looking one and threw him over my shoulder, and aimed a punch at the third. He dodged, so I threw my leg out to kick him, when the second guard, the one I threw, got up again and grabbed me, which threw me off balance to my kick missed.

I flung myself round and quickly broke the second guards arm. One of the first things they taught us, in thief school, was how to break arms. What a lovely education.

But before I could turn around, the third guard grabbed me by the neck and, before I could stop him, pushed me to the ground.

I saw the hard stone cobbles coming up towards my face fast… too fast…

And then everything went black.

**~0~**

I woke up, woozy headed, in a cold cell. It was dark and dirty and full of rats. Great.

I sprang upwards, ignoring the stabbing pains in my head and sides, and ran to the front of the cell, which was barred. I clung onto the bars and turned my head to look down the corridor. I could hear the wails of the other prisoners, and the screams of the ones who were being beaten.

I knew where I was.

This was Viridian City's prison.

There was no use calling for help. I was doomed. They said that once you got sent here, you never got out. But then again, they hadn't met me yet. I wasn't going down without a fight.

I heard voices down the corridor and pulled my hood up as a natural reaction to hide myself, and shrank back into a corner of my cell.

To my surprise, the guards stopped outside my cell. I heard murmured voices, and a rattle of keys.

"He's the one.

"No, we haven't had him in for questioning yet. We only caught him yesterday."

Yesterday? I had been in here a whole day? Damn, that guy must've hit me hard.

"Well, we can question him now then."

Interesting… they thought I was a man. Well, I'd rather like to keep it that way. If they found out I was a girl they'd figure out that I was a Twinleaf Town thief, and then they'd know that Viridian City was our new plundering hotspot.

They unlocked the door to my cell. I didn't move an inch. If I tried an escape now, I'd find myself locked up in an even more horrific cell with armed guards, which would make my predicament even worse.

I felt an arm grab me and drag me upwards, and out of the cell. They took me to a strange stone room, with a table and chairs. It had no windows, and was dark. And creepy.

They threw me down harshly onto one of the chairs. I still had my hood up, and I kept my gaze down.

"So, you're the one who thought it would be a good idea to rob our poor merchants in castle town, are you? A stinking, filthy thief are you?" one of the guards spat at me.

I kept my eyes steadily trained to the floor, and didn't answer.

"ANSWER ME!" I felt a hand strike my face and I was flung off my chair and onto the floor by the force of the blow.

I remained quiet.

"Do you want us to kill you?"

I didn't reply.

"Because unfortunately, we can't… but we can get pretty close to it, you foul dirty mongrel."

Silence rang through the room.

"I'd love to kill you myself… they'll change the rule one day. But I can't for now. But I can do the next best thing… you. Baker! Send him to the fifth floor cells."

"But sir…" a shy, obviously young guard stammered, "He'll never survive! Just look at the size of him!"

"I can send you there as well, if you wish, Baker, to keep him company?"

"No sir. Sorry sir. Right away sir."

"Why don't you lick my feet sir,"the head guard mocked. "Well, go!"

I found myself picked up and dragged away again. Part of me wondered what the fifth floor cells were. I was soon to find out…

**~0~**

The fifth floor cells were like a living nightmare. Everyone's worst nightmare.

I had been here a week, maybe two, from what I could tell. I hadn't been fed or given water. I had to live of drips running down the walls, and was forced to listen to the screaming of inmates who had gone mad. I could hear them being beaten all the time. They were beaten for screaming, but the beatings only made them scream more…

The only thing that kept me from going mad was well… that's just it. I don't know. I've always been a level headed person, and all I could do was try and keep to my own thoughts, and block out the horrible screams. Sometimes I focused on the pain I felt, and my gnawing, terrible hunger, just to keep me sane. To keep myself in the right place, I I could be called that.

But this place – this was so far from the right place. I had given up hope of getting out. I could feel myself getting weaker and weaker every hour that passed. I could barely stand, let alone fight for my freedom.

My ears pricked suddenly. I could hear something… something that wasn't screaming, or moaning. Voices…

The rounds! I had been told about these. The leaders would come and check everything was running smoothly in the prisons, and that everyone had been placed in the right floor level for the crime they had committed, and such.

A small fire of hope flickered in my heart. Surely stealing wasn't a worse enough crime to be locked up in this horrible place? Maybe they would take me to a higher floor, with food, and water… and light… oh, how I missed light…

I heard the voices approaching. They stopped outside the cell next to mine briefly, then moved onto mine.

"What's this one in for?" a deep, male voice said. The voice was rough, and husky, but it lit a small fire inside me.

"Thievery sir. Sergeant Shinji sent him down here after her refused to cooperate during questioning…" I could here the rustling of papers as this was said.

"Thievery? What did they steal?" the husky voice had a note of anger in it now. I wondered what his face looked like…

"Um, well, we didn't find anything on him, sir…

"Are you trying to tell me that you locked this prisoner up on the fifth floor because of alleged thievery, when you didn't even find anything on him? Are you mad, Baker?" the husky voice said.

Poor Baker. He really got it around here, didn't he?

"Sir, Sergeant Shinji commanded it…" I could almost hear Baker sweating with fear.

"Well, he should've cleared it with me first! Get this prisoner out of here and send him to questioning room one. I will question him myself."

"Yes sir."

For what felt like the billionth time, my cell was unlocked and I was dragged out. I was barely conscious at this time with hunger and pain, but I made sure my hood was up. I don't know how I was still pretending to be male, but it seemed that I had been pretending this long that there was no point revealing it now.

I was taken up to a better lit room – I could tell this because, even though my eyes were closed, it hurt my eyelids, the sudden change in light – and sat down on hard wooden chair. The door shut, and I was let alone for a few moments.

I opened my eyes cautiously to let them adjust to the light. They got used to it quickly, and soon I was able to look around the room. It was stone, and bare, like the other room I was questioned in.

I heard the door opened quietly and I ducked my head again. The man with the husky voice had arrived.

**~0~**

**Ash's POV**

I looked at the small figure hunched on the table. They were still wearing an old ragged cloak, which covered their face. Suddenly I was intensely curious to see this prisoner, but I ought that down and sat opposite him.

"Hello." I started, cautiously. I was wary of this prisoner, but also curious. So curious, but I didn't know what made me so. I didn't like questioning prisoners, but since I had become leader of the army of sorts, it had become a necessity. But this one I didn't mind. I wanted – no, needed – to find out more.

The prisoner didn't answer, so I tried again.

"What's your name?"

No reply.

Sighing to myself. I tried one more time. There was something about this prisoner which made me not want to give up as easily as Sergeant Shinji had. I was going to have to reprimand him later, and possibly suspend him – good thing to, as I have never liked him anyway. Took his anger out on the prisoners too easily.

"Look, I'm trying to help you. But I can't if you won't tell me anything. Please. What is your name?"

The prisoners head rose slightly. I could see the pain they were in from even moving, and a hot bubble of anger rose through me. Nobody should be treated like this.

"What's it to you?" finally, the prisoner spoke, in a voice so rough and pained that it sounded like their throat had been dragged over a thousand nails. Quickly, I grabbed my water skin from my belt and pushed it across the table to him. The prisoner's head rose, but I couldn't see their face through the shadows of their cloak. I could tell they were suspicious, so I encouraged them.

"Go on. Drink."

The prisoners hand snaked out and grabbed the skin. I noticed the remarkably small, smooth hands – well, as smooth as hands are when someone's been locked up in a filthy prisons for weeks – curl round the skin. The prisoner lifted it to their mouth and drank thirstily. I had never seen such thirst before. It was astonishing.

They finished the skin quickly and replaced it onto the table. One of those small, smooth hands raised to the prisoners mouth and wiped it quickly.

"Thank you." The voice was so wrung with gratitude it hurt. The prisoner replaced their hands on their lap and resumed looking down at them.

I replaced my skin on my belt, and asked again.

"Your name?"

Once again the prisoner didn't reply.

The suspicion was rising inside me like a snake.

Cautiously I leant over the table, hesitant of fear of frightening the prisoner.

They recoiled slightly when they saw my hand reach across to them, but not so far that I could reach them. The table was slender, and I could reach them easily.

I touched the soft material of the cloak, with trembling hands.

Slowly, I pushed the cloak back...

… And found myself staring into the stormy blue eyes of a tired, world weary, but amazingly beautiful young girl.

**Did you all like it? :)**

**Please tell me what you think, your feedback and support is vital for this story's continuation.**

**I'm not sure if I will continue this story as it was drafted as a oneshot at first, but if you guys want me to , I can always work on more chapters.**

**Sorry again for not really uploading, and see you tomorrow!**

**Please comment and review, thanks.**


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